Painful Love
by Hopeful Writer
Summary: When the digidestined stop to find shelter, they end up finding out a little more about each other. Takari and Sorato, with an implication of Jyoumi and Jyoun. Takes place in Season 01.


Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. So stop asking me if you can have joint custody!

A/N - This is my first real Sorato. I didn't want to write it, but I promised myself that I'd write stories for every couple with Sora, Iori, Hikari, and Takeru. I'm well on my way. It starts out as a Mimato, but don't be fooled. I'm glad I did make it a Sorato though (Happy, Dreamer4?). Any and all bashing of certain characters (*cough* Jyou and Mimi) is just because that bashing fit the story. I have nothing against any characters. I even love Dai-chan. And for some reason I decided to use the Japanese names today, so I now go by Nozoru-Sakka (my Japanese name). It means Wishing-Writer because that's what I am. Story contains Takari, Sorato, Jyoumi(cough, cough). It's about the complex romances of season 01 digidestined. It takes place in the digi-world, just so you know. R&R, please. Shout outs to Dreamer4, Super Crash, EeyoreP, and Izzychick. 

Ages:  
Jyou - 12  
Taichi, Yamato, Sora - 11  
Mimi, Koushiro - 10  
Takeru, Hikari - 7

**__**

Painful Love

By: Nozoru-Sakka

Hikari Kamiya closed her eyes peacefully. She rolled over on the dank ground, dreaming of a certain someone. Her breath regulated as she began to drift to sleep, failing to notice somebody was watching her. 

Takeru Takaishi was looking at the young brunette that was slowly falling asleep with a smile on his young face. He turned to his older brother. "Am I too young to fall in love, Yamato?"

The older blond looked at the younger boy in shock. "Where'd that come from, Takeru?" he wondered, sitting up reluctantly.

The seven-year-old glanced quickly at the young girl lying next to him on the ground, and replied, "I think I'm in love."

"With Hikari." Takeru nodded bashfully.

"With my little sister," another voice remarked.

The brothers looked around in shock to see Taichi Kamiya. "Yeah," Takeru mumbled. "I won't tell her if you don't want me to, Taichi. I need your blessing," the little boy told him quickly.

Taichi grinned into the darkness. "It's okay, Takeru. I wouldn't want her to love anyone but you. You've got my blessing. I don't think my parents will be crazy about her being in love so young. Best not to tell them yet."

"_If_ we ever get home," Yamato commented darkly.

"We will," the youngest remarked cheerfully. "Don't be a pessimist, Yamato."

"Where'd you learn that word, Takeru?"

"I've been learning lots of stuff from Koushiro. He teaches me big words that you and Dad and Mom never taught me."

"Like?"

"Pessimist."

"Oh."

"Taichi? Do you know how Hikari feels about me?" the little boy asked nervously.

"No idea, squirt," replied the older brunette. "But judging by the way her eyes sparkle when she talks about you, I think it's a match made in heaven, kiddo."

"Thank, Taichi," Takeru breathed.

"Tell her tomorrow, kid," Matt advised. "Don't let her slip out of your grasp."

"Okay, and Yamato?"

"Yeah?"

"You'd better talk to Mimi. I know what's going on between you two. You ought to stop it now, before she gets out of control. I know who you're really after." Takeru looked over at a certain redhead, who was breathing regularly, her arm protectively around Hikari.

Yamato flushed. "Takeru—"

"Good night, Yamato." The little blond promptly fell asleep, without listening to the end of his brother's sentence.

_That kid knows me too well_, Yamato realized, tousling the tiny child's hair. "I love you, Takeru," he remarked softly, kissing his brother's forehead gently.

He had nestled down to bed, when he heard a faint, childish voice answer, "I love you, too, Yamato."

Smiling into the darkness, Yamato fell asleep.

******

Hikari was first to wake the next morning. Looking around her at the digidestined, one in particular caught her attention. She smiled at the tiny blond, curled up against his brother to block out the cold winds. As if able to see her there, he shifted position, yawned, and opened his eyes. "Morning, Hikari," he chirped, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. 

"Good morning, Takeru," she greeted him cheerfully, as he sat up.

Suddenly, he looked very nervous. "Um, Hikari, do you think I can, um, talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?"

He glanced around at the other digidestined. "Um, somewhere where the others can't hear us, maybe?"

"Okay, but not too far." Takeru nodded and scrawled a note in the dirt for his brother and friends.

"I know where we can go. I saw it when we were running from the storm," the boy told her. "But stick close. The path's kind of rocky."

Hikari nodded quickly and moved closer to Takeru. They walked up a narrow, rocky road until they reached a secluded, rather romantic, little clearing. "What's up, Takeru?" Hikari repeated when Takeru stopped.

He began to wring his hands apprehensively. "Um, well, I was, um, thinking last night, and I realized that I, um, I, I, I—"

"Takeru, you're repeating yourself."

"I am? I mean, yeah, sorry. I was just saying that I, um, love you," he squeaked, his face illuminating in a ruby red.

For a moment Hikari didn't know what to say. "Takeru," she whispered. He wouldn't meet her eyes. Finally Hikari reached out and touched his chin, raising his head so he looked up at her. "Takeru, I, I love you, too."

His eyes widened. The clear blue irises glittered oddly. Blushing slightly, he leaned in towards her. Their lips met, and suddenly Hikari pulled back and slapped him. "Ow!" he screamed, staggering back and clutching his cheek. "What was that for?" he demanded, glaring at the girl angrily.

But she was staring at her hand, red eyes wide. "Takeru, I'm so sorry."

"Save it for someone who cares!" he yelled, whirling around and running back down the path. Tears blinded him as he scurried towards camp. Then he stopped short. _Oh, man, I left her there all alone_, he thought. Cursing his stupidity, he spun around………

And crashed right into Hikari. "Hikari!" he cried, just as she exclaimed, "Takeru!"

"Hikari, I—"

"Takeru, I—"

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time.

Blushing, Takeru wet his lips nervously. "Um, Hikari? Why'd you slap me?" he wondered.

******

Yamato Ishida stirred from a rather uncomfortable sleep. He immediately checked on his younger brother, only to see he wasn't there. "Takeru," he whispered frantically. He spotted a crudely written note in the dirt nearby, obviously meant for his sight. 

__

Yamato,

Me and Hikari went for a walk. We'll be back soon. Don't forget what I told you last night.

Love ya,

Takeru

Yamato smirked at his little brother's initiative. _That boy is quick_, he thought, shaking his head, eyes raised at the sky.

"Where's Takeru and Hikari?" a female voice mumbled sleepily.

Yamato's breath caught in his throat. "They, uh, went for a walk, Sora," he remarked, turning to look at the tiny redhead. Yamato could feel his face turn scarlet just looking at her. _She's so darn pretty_, he grumbled silently. _How's a guy supposed to not fall in love with her?_

"Yamato, is something wrong?"

His head snapped up. "No, I'm just……… thinking about my little brother. He's growing up so fast." 

"Is he, is he in love with Hikari?"

The blond nodded. "Yeah, he's not the only one in love."

Sora looked at Yamato with an intrigued interest. "Do you love Mimi, Yamato?"

"No, she's just using me so she can get Jyou. If you ask me, their perfect together. Both are obsessed with members of the opposite sex."

"Yamato, be nice," Sora admonished, but she was giggling behind her hands. "So who do you love, Yamato?"

_Oh, now I've opened up a whole new can of worms, sister_, Yamato thought nervously. _What do I do? I can't tell her, can I?_ Yamato thought about how brave his little brother was for telling Hikari how he felt. _I can do this_, the older boy decided. "Sora, I love……… you." Then there was silence.

Sora's heart rate seemed to triple. "Are you……… are you serious?" _I've waited for this day for so long, and now that's what I ask? How stupid am I? Baka_, she berated herself.

"Sora-chan, I'm not joking. I love you. And I'm going to tell Mimi later."

"No need," a cold voice told him. Yamato froze for a second, then spun around to look into the face of his girlfriend, or rather ex-girlfriend.

"Good, then you see we've broken up. You can go after Jyou now, not that you haven't been already."

"Yamato, I haven't been anything but loyal, and this is how I'm repaid," Mimi stated.

"Loyal," Matt snorted. "You don't know the meaning of that word. I think I'll ask Jyou how often you made out because he's already proven that you have. Listen to the way he talks in his sleep about all that you've done. The way you talk about him. If I hadn't already figured it out, I would have been pretty hurt. But I don't care. I've got what I need." He wrapped his arm around Sora, causing her to blush brightly.

"Yamato-chan," she mumbled, in slight protest, but he just pulled her closer.

"I love you, Sora-chan," he whispered into her ear, then pulled her even closer. He leaned in and slowly pressed his lips against hers. To his surprise and pleasure, she didn't pull back. Quite the contrary, actually, for she deepened the kiss.

"I love you, too, Yama-chan," she murmured.

Mimi, who had been watching all this with her mouth hanging open, shoved the other girl out of the way and moved in to kiss Yamato. "Try kissing a real woman, Yamato," she told him, her voice suddenly sappy-sweet. 

He tumbled backwards, avoiding her lips by millimeters. "I just did," he retorted, helping Sora to her feet. "Leave me alone, Mimi. We're officially through. Broken up. I don't care if you say you broke up with me, just leave me alone."

******

"I'm sorry I slapped you, Takeru," Hikari apologized. "I just wasn't ready for that. It was kind of a……… surprise."

"Sorry," Takeru echoed. "Can I, um, try that again?"

Hikari looked at the ground for a moment before answering, "Okay, this time I promise I won't slap you."

"That'd be nice." Leaning towards her, Takeru felt their lips meet, then a slight resistance from Hikari before she relented and deepened the kiss. 

They both pulled away simultaneously, faces red, eyes gleaming with the self-satisfaction of trying something new. They were both panting, but with smiles on their faces. "Wow," Hikari finally squeaked.

"Yeah," Takeru agreed. 

"Keru-chan?"

Takeru blushed at the nickname she had given him. "Yeah?"

She didn't speak again, just pressed her lips against his once more. "Hikari," he breathed when they separated. "That was……… magical."

"Yeah."

"We'd better get back to the others," Takeru remarked dejectedly. 

Hikari smiled optimistically. "Should we tell them?"

"I think so. My brother already knows, and so does Taichi. By now, Sora should, too, if Yamato told her how he feels."

"Doesn't he love Mimi? And Taichi knows?"

"No and yes, in that order. He loves Sora. Mimi's just using him," the young boy told her knowledgeably.

"Oh."

"Let's tell them when we get back."

"Okay."

******

Mimi glared sharply at Yamato and Sora. "Like I care what happens between you two. But Yamato's mine, Tachenouchi. Find your own man."

"I'm not a possession, Mimi. You can't own me. If I want to break up, we're breaking up. Go find yourself a guy who'll care."

"Not that any guy cares about you anyway," Sora added, smirking at the brunette.

"You guys are unusually mean today," am amused voice remarked. Taichi Kamiya slipped out of the shadows to grin at his friends. "They've got a point, though, Mimi. Let them alone. It took Yamato long enough to admit that you guys don't have a relationship; leave it at that. Besides, I've seen first-hand you and Jyou doing a few things that could be considered naughty."

"Liar," she hissed, glaring at the wild-haired 11-year-old. 

"Prove it," he replied confidently. 

"I……… I can't."

"Well, I can," the boy taunted cheerfully. 

"What?" It was a universal exclamation from all three digidestined, as well as a mysterious fourth voice: 12-year-old Jyou Kido.

"Oh, yeah," Taichi continued. "Just look, and later you can thank my little sister for the use of her camera." (A/N - I know Hikari doesn't have a camera in 01, but I kind of needed it.)

"Why'd you use my camera?" Hikari asked from the mouth of the cave. She and Takeru were standing there, having just returned from their "walk."

"Where were you two?" Taichi teased, absolutely loving the fact that he wasn't in love with anyone.

Both kids went crimson on the spot. "Taking a walk," they chorused.

"Trying to figure stuff out," Takeru added.

"So why'd you use my camera?" Hikari repeated, staring at her brother.

Taichi smirked. "To catch these two," he jerked his thumb at Jyou and Mimi, "in the act. Look at the picture, my friends."

Everyone gathered around Taichi to examine a beautifully shot picture of Mimi and Jyou locking lips. "_Excellent_," the two youngest digidestined cheered concurrently. Their older brothers gave them interesting looks, and they silenced quickly, both feeling the blood rising to their cheeks.

"When did you take this picture, Taichi?" Mimi asked, sugar-coating her voice again.

"It doesn't matter, Mimi," Yamato interjected as Taichi opened his mouth. "Up until about five minutes ago, we were still a couple. So you have no excuse."

"If it matters, I took it about a week ago, when we were in that serene little forest."

"I remember!" Takeru suddenly blurted. "I was, um, spying on you. Sorry, Yamato, but I had to figure something out. But Mimi said she had to go to the bathroom and instead she went to Jyou. He got all upset because he thought she'd stood him up. You know, I don't think he ever knew you two were going out."

Yamato turned to Jyou. "Did you? We didn't exactly make it public knowledge. I always kind of assumed everyone knew."

"Well, I didn't. I just thought Mimi was, well, I don't know what I thought." He extended his hand towards Yamato. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Yamato. I guess I just thought Mimi was finally liking me the way I'd liked her."

"No problem, Jyou. I know it's Mimi's fault. I don't really blame you. I did, but now I think I understand." Yamato turned to his little brother. "Takeru, what exactly did you have to figure out by spying on me? I thought we'd had tons of conversations about being a spy before."

"You don't understand. This time was different," Takeru explained hopelessly.

"What made it different?"

"What do you think?" Takeru cried, exasperated. "You know full well. I'm not going to tell you if you can't figure it out for yourself."

"Was it—" He was cut off by Takeru shoving a hand in front of his mouth. 

"Yes, it was that," the younger boy informed him.

Yamato's eyes widened. "Oh," he drawled. "Did you……… you know, say something?"

Takeru nodded. "Uh huh. And, well, you can guess the rest."

"Takeru, you didn't-- you did, didn't you?"

"Um, well, kind of."

"What _are_ you two talking about?" Hikari inquired, looking suspiciously between the brothers.

Taichi smirked confidently. "Takeru's telling Yamato that he talked to you about how he _loves_ you. So, I guess you love him back?"

"Um, well, yeah," she replied, turning an interesting shade of red. 

Sora squealed in delight. "Oh, that's so cute!"

"It's about time," a voice agreed from the shadows.

"Koushiro!" the younger digidestined exclaimed.

"Didn't think you were going to leave me out of this, did you?"

"You've known from the beginning anyway," Takeru reminded. Glancing apologetically at Yamato and Taichi, he added, "Koushiro was the very first person I told. I didn't think Hikari would _ever_ like me back. That's how I learned the word pessimist. Koushiro told me not to be one." Takeru looked specifically at Yamato as he said that.

"You told me you knew nothing!" Yamato cried at Koushiro.

The redhead grinned. "I wasn't going to spill. He'd tell when he wanted to, which is just how he did it. I was just there for moral support."

"You've become Koushiro's apprentice," Taichi muttered sarcastically. His perpetual smirk was still plastered on his face.

"Hey, Yamato?" Takeru spoke up. "Did you tell her?"

"Sure did, squirt," Yamato replied, not even having to ask what his brother was talking about. 

"Well?"

Yamato wrapped his arm coyly around Sora and pulled her into a quick kiss. "What do you think, kid?"

Takeru pumped a fist into the air, a perfect imitation of his brother. Hikari smiled at her boyfriend and his older counterpart. Sliding up to the younger blond, she wrapped an arm around his waist. Jumping in surprise, he grinned and, still imitating Yamato, pulled Hikari into a quick kiss, one she thoroughly enjoyed. "Love you, Hika-chan," he whispered, causing her to blush intensely, and earning a rather reproachful look from Taichi.

So the digidestined set off the day before, not knowing what loves would be found and lost, just out for adventure. By the end of the following day, all were content. Except, perhaps, for Mimi, who Jyou never dated. He was too hurt by her betrayal to ever love her again. But he did find happiness in the future, a girl by the name of Jun Motomiya. 

A/N - I can't really do endings, but I thought the Jyou/Jun thing was kind of cute. I didn't want to hurt Jyou, because he's a good guy. I needed to bash Mimi, but I didn't need to hurt Jyou. I hope you liked it. Please review.


End file.
